The Sacred Temple of the Phoenix

Legend of the Five Rings card from Obsidian Edition, Imperial Edition, Emerald Edition, Time of the Void, Promotional–Imperial

Card Type

Stronghold

Province Strength

5

Gold Production

3

Starting Family Honor

6

Clan

Phoenix

Keywords

Temple

Card Text

w: When paying for a Spell or Shugenja, produce 5 Gold which may only pay for that card.
w: When paying for a Spell or Shugenja, produce 7 Gold which may only pay for that card and if the latter, you may not Proclaim him; after the Shugenja attaches the Spell or enters play, permanently give him Shadowlands.

Legality

Clan Wars (Imperial)

Deck

Pre-Game

Notes

Before Obsidian Edition, the stronghold cards weren't printed with the deck, but as promos and on the back of the starter deck boxes. They were also printed as fixed cards in Obsidian Edition with the Emerald Edition border.

Printings

Rulings

• Erratum: Reads, "The Sacred Temples of the Phoenix 5PS 3GP 6FH Bow to produce five gold when bringing a spell or Shugenja into play. Bow to produce seven gold when bringing a spell of Shugenja into play. The Shugenja involved gains the trait Shadowlands permanently, and you may not gain honor for bringing this card into play." [MRP, Time of the Void, 1997] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 151
• When producing 7G, the shugenja does not gain the Shadowlands trait until he or she enters play. [FAQ 3.0.1] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 151
• Producing 7G for an originally non-Shadowlands shugenja counts as "bringing a Shadowlands card into play." [Reversal] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 151
• Effects that alter the gold production of strongholds alter only the basic "3" on the box and do not affect the amounts its traits produce. [December 1999] Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 151
• Effects that do not refer to gold production, but to, e.g., the amount of gold produced "when a stronghold is bowing to pay for a personality" will affect the stronghold's trait of paying extra gold for spells and shugenja. Rules Archive, August 18, 2007, p. 151
• Producing 7g for an originally untainted shugenja now counts as "bringing a Shadowlands card into play". See Miscellaneous. [REVERSAL] Accumulated Rulings, February 8, 2000, p. 68
• Erratum: Changed: now produces 5g when paying for a shugenja or spell, rather than reducing that card's cost by 5 until end of turn. Text Change & Errata List, February 15, 2000, p. 22
• Erratum: Added: can also produce 7g when paying for a shugenja or spell, and permanently give the shugenja involved the Shadowlands trait. Text Change & Errata List, February 15, 2000, p. 22
• Erratum: Added: you cannot gain honor when paying 7g for a shugenja. Text Change & Errata List, February 15, 2000, p. 22

Rules Q&A

• Q: Will an opponent's Nio Sensei affect my Aramasu's Vigilance reaction to produce only 3 gold? Or just the "normal" 4G production?
  What if I'm playing The Sacred Temple of the Phoenix instead? How much gold does it produce for a holding vs. for a spell/shugenja?
  A: Gold Production is a stat on a stronghold. Nio Sensei will only affect that, not abilities that produce gold as well. Jon Palmer, "Aramasu's Vigilance and Nio Sensei", 2 Apr 2013
• Q: Given Situation: I use "The Sacred Temple of the Phoenix" to product seven gold for a Shugenja. I use a Holding with the "Forest" Keyword to pay for said shugenja. I control "Forests of Shinomen".
  May I use the effect of Forests of Shinomen, with the most recent errata on Forests of Shinomen being in effect? ("When one of your Forests is paying for a non-Shadowlands Nonhuman card: It produces one additional Gold.")
  A: Forests of Shinomen will increase the gold production of a Forest when paying for a Shugenja who is also being paid for by The Sacred Temples of the Phoenix.
  According to the Rules Archive: When producing 7G, the shugenja does not gain the Shadowlands trait until he or she enters play. Alex Jones, "The Sacred Temple of the Phoenix and Forests of Shinomen", 24 Aug 2011
• Q: [Jade] Does Yoritomo Sensei reduces the gold of the Sacred Temple of the Phoenix ability to pay Sgugenjas or only affects the printed Gold Production (3)?
  A: It was ruled contemporarily that effects which alter a Strongholds GP only alter the base production and not additional abilities like those of the Phoenix Stronghold. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 24 Sep 2026
• Q: [Jade] if you use The Sacred Temple of the Phoenix to produce 7 gold to bring Isawa Osugi into play for full, does net your 4 honor? (Like using the SH plus another holding for the last gold I mean, like that and a small farm)
  A: No. I believe in contemporary Jade Rules, you could not even buy Osugi with the 7 Gold at all because her trait would also cancel the Gold production, which was considered an "effect" at that time. Brook Cunningham, "Sun and Moon #rules-questions", 23 May 2026